Re-entering society successfully after incarceration can involve overcoming addictions that paved the way to prison. John Williams has found ways to try to stay healthy–physically, mentally and spiritually–while navigating the challenges of recovery. Photo Fellow Grace Donnelly documented his journey.

People with criminal records are advised to move on with their lives after they have been punished for breaking the law. But it’s not easy. In Illinois, more than 100 jobs are off limits to those convicted of a felony.

Savon Patterson struck the fingers of his right hand with his left index finger as he counted his financial obligations one-by-one. “I got to pay my car note,” the 21-year-old father said last month. “I have to move. I got another kid on the way. Christmas is coming up.

An ad hoc committee will determine the employment status of James Kilgore and policies governing non-tenure-track faculty at the University of Illinois. But faculty members are concerned about the committee’s membership, the scope of its assignment and the timetable.

On a rainy day last July, Charles Farmer stepped out of the Lincoln Correctional Center without any ID and $30 in his pocket. He’d just turned 38, had 20 years of prison time under his belt and no idea what would come next. “For 20 years I was taken care of,” Farmer says. “And that’s not a good feeling.”
He returned to the Southwest Side of Chicago, his movement restricted by an ankle monitor as part of his parole. With no job to go to, he spent his first few months of freedom at home until a friend introduced him to the Inner-City Muslim Action Network.

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About Chicago Reporter

Founded on the heels of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, The Chicago Reporter confronts racial and economic inequality, using the power of investigative journalism. Our mission is national but grounded in Chicago, one of the most segregated cities in the nation and a bellwether for urban policies.